


The Festival of Lights

by Latina_geek2312



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Fixated Canon, Fluff, Mika bb, Princess & Protector, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:54:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23242069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Latina_geek2312/pseuds/Latina_geek2312
Summary: A peek into Mika's and J'oa's past at the Theed Royal Palace.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Reader
Comments: 14
Kudos: 15





	The Festival of Lights

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Fixated (On Hiatus and Under Construction)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385) by [Lunaxxx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunaxxx/pseuds/Lunaxxx). 



> note: J'oa is my original character and [Mika ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1atpuK9dTb7kByhonl6SNQRD3UbB04jGniQSQNSwch2o/edit#bookmark=kix.vansdmp472t) is Luna's.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!!

### The Festival of Lights

The sun was starting to set on the horizon.  
  


The stars were finally appearing in the darkening sky along with the moons of the planet. The citizens of the planet Naboo were finishing the preparation for this special night that occurred once a year.  
  


It was the night of the festival of lights. The new queen of Naboo had restored the festival around four years after the fall of the empire. As a way of giving people a little bit of joy on the planet. It ended up being a complete success. The festival had brought joy and happiness for the citizens after years of being under the empire's rule.   
  


Since then, the festival has been celebrated once a year. People from all over the galaxy would come to celebrate the holiday. All of them wearing their best outfits looking to have a fun night of games and foods while waiting for the fireworks show at midnight.

  
Everybody was getting ready for this night.

  
Well, almost everybody.

\--

"But Mom, why not for a little while?..." A young girl pleaded. "Just for the fireworks show? Please?..."  
  


A woman was sitting in a seat, surrounded by six handmaidens. Each one of the handmaidens had a task at hand, which was getting the woman ready for the festival.  
  


"But you can see the fireworks from your balcony, J'ohanna." Said the woman while looking at her daughter, who was sitting in her bed in a lotus position.

  
"Is not the same, Mom. I want to see them up close, not through a big window," J'ohanna, said, while giving her mother a stare.

  
Her mother stood up from her seat, interrupting the handmaidens as they did her makeup and hair. She glided over to J’ohanna and took a seat next to her. Shooting the handmaidens a glance, they left the room immediately, closing the doors behind them as they left.

  
She gave a sigh and looked at her daughter's eyes. Those eyes she swore to protect the moment she opened them, those eyes that could communicate any type of emotion with just a glance. The innocence and pureness that lies in the soul and heart of her daughter.

  
Oh, how much she wished she could keep her safe from all harm.  
  


"J'ohanna," she started, grabbing her daughter's hands into her own. "You are young, you just turned fourteen years old. There's a lot of things you can't understand. One of them is the reason we don't allow you to go out of the palace without a companion at your side." She sighed. "One of my duties as the Queen of Naboo is to keep the citizens safe from all threats. But before that, I am a mother. _Your_ mother. And it is for the best that you stay here. Specifically today. I know it may seem unjustified, but I'll assure you, one day you will be celebrating with us."

J’ohanna looked at her mother's eyes. She knew that her family wanted to protect her. But one thing is to protect and another is to be _overprotective_. Every single year, she would beg her parents to go to the festival of lights and every year they would give the same excuse.  
  
  
_There's a lot of things you don't understand…_

  
She wondered when she’d be given that chance _to_ understand. 

  
Besides, it’s just a festival. What harm can a festival do to a young girl? 

  
Exactly, **n** **othing.**

  
  
J'ohanna sighed and closed her eyes. She lowered her face towards the ground, dejected by her defeat in the argument. 

  
Lifting her head, she gave her mother her best smile. "Is alright, Mother. I understand..."  
  


Her mother smiled slightly. She knew J'ohanna would hide her true feelings behind her smiles, she never liked people worrying about her. 

  
So, she smiled and assured that she was alright. And it broke her mother's heart every time she would do it.   
  


There wasn't much she could do in the Theed Royal Palace, except for the library she loved so much and spent ungodly hours stuck in there.

  
She _definitely_ got that from her father, no question about it.

  
"Is alright, my darling." Said her mother, while she got up on her feet, standing up in front of her. "We'll be back before you know it. Besides," she crouched down to her level. "There are _a lot_ of boring diplomats at the festival and they will most likely be behind our tails just to talk about politics,” she said, face scrunching up in distaste. "And _that_ is no fun at all." 

With a smile, and a kiss on the forehead, the queen walked towards the doors, throwing her one last glance.

J'ohanna smiled at her from her bed, giving her mother the reassurance she needed. "Don't worry, mother. I'll probably just read some of my books. Just make sure father doesn't tell embarrassing stories to everyone...again."  
  


"Don't you worry, I'll make sure of that,” she giggled, grabbing the door's handle. With a click, the door shut behind her.  
  


When the sound of her mother's heels went away, J'ohanna threw herself backward on her bed with her arms spread out on the mattress.

  
Her stare was lost on the ceiling of her chambers. The ceiling was painted by a deep blue, simulating the night sky, accompanied by different constellations. The room was big enough to have a painting of all her favorite constellations in the ceiling. Since she had memories, her fascination with the stars was known.  
  


They brought her peace in moments of stress, like this one.

  
She kept her gaze upwards, the sun already setting and the moons taking its place. Music came from outside the palace, their echo bouncing off the halls and reaching her chambers.

  
J'ohanna let out a deep sigh. It was time to get up and look for a book to let the hours pass by.

  
Slowly, she got out of bed. Once she was on her feet, she dragged her legs towards her bookshelves.

  
Most of these books were her favorite ones from the palace's library. But since she always reads them, her parents gave her permission to keep them in her bedroom- as long as they were treated with care.

  
Trailing her finger along the third bookshelf, she found what she was looking for. Grabbing it, she sat down in the small furniture beside her window, which offered a small view of the private royal gardens.

\--

The hours passed. It was already 8:40. The festival was still going strong, yet the princess had fallen asleep on the small couch. Her head resting on the window, while the moons reflected on her hair, giving it a silver glow. Her face was relaxed, clearly having a good dream.  
  


Suddenly, something hit the balcony' s door.

  
It was a small stone, and it didn't go through the glass but made a noise loud enough to make J’ohanna stir from her sleep.

  
She ignored it.

  
Then it happened again, but she barely moved from her position.

  
After _four times_ , J'ohanna finally woke up and stretched her arms. She stood up, leaving behind the book she was reading, making her way towards the balcony.

  
The glass doors to the balcony creaked as she pushed them open. Looking down, she noticed the small stones laying around. 

  
J'ohanna giggled lightly. She knew _exactly_ who was throwing those stones. A beautiful smile appeared on her lips, illuminating her face. 

  
A few lithe steps and she approached the balcony door. Her hands taking hold of the handle softly.

  
With wide eyes, she searched for the person who was trying to get her attention. The garden was illuminated only by the light of the moons, giving a magical touch to it.  
  


_"Little knight,”_ came her gentle whisper, “where are you?"   
  


A few moments passed before there was movement in the bushes, off to the left side of the garden. The sound became more aggressive, something clearly struggling to get out the bushes. When grunts of struggle became apparent, a few giggles came from J'ohanna. 

  
Just then, a head full of brown hair and leaves came into view.

  
The person was a boy. Somewhere in his fifteenth or sixteenth year. His hair at an above shoulder length and big, brown eyes glistening with mischief.

  
"It is me, your majesty," the boy confirmed with a hint of tease in his voice. Once he became free of the bushes with just a little bit of struggle, he made his way through the garden towards the girl. "Wished it were under better circumstances, honestly."

  
  
His hair and clothes were full of leaves and branches from the bushes. But he didn't seem to care at all.

  
  
J'ohanna cringed a little bit at his language. "Mika, seriously. When will you drop the ' _your majesty'_ thing? You were clear from that level long ago." She turned her head to the side, trying to hide her blushing cheeks.

  
  
Mika only grinned shamelessly. "I know, just teasing you, Starlight." He kept his gaze on her, looking up. He was just under the balcony, J'ohanna a few feet above him, the moons giving her an almost ethereal look.

  
  
_A beautiful view, indeed._

  
  
Mika his head side to side. He tried to get some leaves from his hair but it was a worthless effort.

With a few giggles escaping from her mouth, J'ohanna reached out to him, at the perfect height to help him with his little problem.  
  


He stood completely still as soon as he felt her small, warm hands comb through his hair. Keeping his eyes down. His heart thundering against his chest so loudly, he worried that she could hear it from where she was standing.

  
When J'ohanna finished with her grooming, she stood up straight and looked at Mika with a gentle smile. A little branch with a few leaves in between her hands.

  
"There, much better now, right?" she said, voice soft. 

Looking at him, her brows creased as she frowned. "Now, can you tell me why are you hiding in the gardens instead of enjoying your night off _and_ celebrating the festival like the rest of the city?"

  
  
Earlier that week, most of the apprentices for Royal Theed Guard were given the night of the festival off so they could enjoy it. The unit that was chosen for the protection of the young princess was having the whole night off since she wasn't going to take part in the celebration.

  
But, apparently, her little knight had other plans in mind.

  
  
Mika gave her his signature smirk, regaining his composure. "Couldn't allow my princess to be all alone in her chambers," he teased. "Besides," he grunted while climbing the balcony. He sat on the handle. "Your brother seems to be seeking revenge after our last…' accident', if you may call it that, J’oa."

J'ohanna chuckled at the statement, her heart warming at his nickname for her. The 'accident' he was talking about happened around a week ago. 

One of her brothers, J'oel; the fourth prince; was the recent victim of J'oa and Mika's newest prank.

You see, the prince is rather fond of his hair. And since the festival was just around the corner, he ordered some new products to look at his best.

Let's just say that it was a _huge_ mistake to leave them near Mika and J'oa. _Especially_ if they were _bored._ Now, the prince's black gorgeous curls we're a _lime green_ and to say he was furious would be an understatement.

"I'm pretty sure that it will pass soon. Just give it a few weeks, little knight."

  
  
Mika scoffed. "Yeah, sure. Now I'll have to keep an eye open when I sleep."

  
  
"Stop being dramatic,” J’oa kept a calming tone. “J'oel is leaving for a meeting in Coruscant in two days. His anger will pass by then.”

  
  
Mika just gave her a wide smile. She never failed to keep him calm and at peace.

  
  
"Now, " said J'oa. "Changing the subject, I hope you have a really good excuse to sneak into the gardens." She raised an eyebrow. "How do you manage to get your way through the guards will always be a mystery for me."

  
  
Mika lifted his arms in the air as a way of surrender. "You caught me, Starlight. You see," he got up from the handle and started walking towards her.

  
  
Once he was around three feet away from her, Mika got down in one knee, his head giving a bow and his right hand over his heart.

J'ohanna's expression and stance became serious and cold.

  
  
"I came to give you my company for the rest of the night, " he said in a polite and elegant tone. "Of course, if you shall allow me."

  
  
There was tension in the air. The silence droned on.   
  


...

Then laughs and snorts filled the air. J'oa was the first one to break character, letting out some giggles that soon became a loud and happy laugh.

  
  


Mika followed soon after her, letting out a snort that soon became a boisterous laugh.

  
  
"Gods!, you sounded just like Prince Morath!" She said between laughs, trying to get some air as well.

  
  
Mika was in the ground, laughing while holding his stomach. "That was the point!"

  
  
Suddenly, J'oa made a face and imitated that same prince, which made Mika laugh even harder. 

  
  
Soon enough, they started an imitation contest of everyone from the court.

  
  
It lasted a _long_ time. Both of them continued laughing until they couldn't breathe. They ended up on the ground, their backs against it and laying beside each other.

  
  
Mika was finally calming down, occasionally chuckling. Catching his breath, he looked to his left, only to have the air stolen from his lungs again.

  
J'oa was still giggling. Her cheeks red from laughing so hard, her eyes glowing with happiness and amusement.

  
  
It was for moments like this that Mika found promising to himself to always protect her from all harm.

  
  


To be the reason for that happiness. To be the reason for that laugh. To be the reason behind that smile.

  
  


_Her real smile._

  
  


Once J'ohanna calmed down, she took a few breaths and looked up to the sky, full of stars shining brightly and beautifully.

  
  


Mika didn't take his eyes off of her. He wanted to have this moment etched into his memory for eternity. To him, J'oa never looked more beautiful when she was smiling, particularly _that_ smile. The smile that showed her tiny dimples, her chubby freckled cheeks sticking out and her eyes shining with delight. 

He made it his personal mission to always make her smile like that. Ever since the day they became best friends, when he was assigned to serve as her protector. And that’s exactly what he’s been training for since he was just a little boy: to protect his princess.

  
_How long has it been already? Four years? Five?_ he thought, his gaze drifting from J'oa towards the sky. _It feels like I've known her all my life…_

  
The time continued to pass as the two friends talked about mundane things. The conversation flowed between the two of them, just like every other time they talked. The moons and stars being the only witnesses of the youngsters' chat.

  
  
Suddenly, an idea came to Mika's mind. He stood up quickly, the sudden movement making J'oa jump in surprise.

"Mika is something wrong?" she asked, startled.

  
  
Mika looked at her, his expression giving nothing away. "You said your mother told you to not leave the palace, right?"

  
  


J'oa looked confused by his question but answered anyway. "That's correct, I can't get out of here…"

  
  
Mika gave her a smirk. "And you want to see the fireworks show?"

  
  
"I think I'm not understanding where this is going…"

  
  
Mika's smirk only grew more. That definitely wasn't a good sign.

  
  
Mika stretched his arms towards J'oa, offering his help to lift her up. She took his hand and he pulled her towards him. 

  
  
Once she was on her feet, Mika, still holding her small hand, dragged her towards the balcony's doors. Opening them, he brought her inside her chambers. Mika waltzed through the room, towards the door to get out of the chambers.

  
  
The door creaked a little when it was opened, the sound echoing off the empty halls of the palace. There weren't any guards since they were relocated to the entrances and exits of the palace to make sure nobody entered or left.

  
  
But Mika was here. So they probably weren't doing _that_ good of a job.

  
  
Mika dragged J'oa by her hand and started running through the halls. She took hold of the ends of her dress with her other hand, letting her run faster and catch up with Mika's speed.

  
  
"Mika, where are we going?" she said once they took the left side at the end of the hall. "You know I can't leave the palace. Besides, the guards are all around the entrances and exits. We can't sneak out."

  
  
Mika looked back at her, his grin still in his face. His brown eyes had a glint of mischief. Like they were showing that he knew more than he was letting on. "Don't worry, angel," he said, picking his pace up to a run. “We are not gonna leave the palace at all."

J'oa just stared at him in confusion, but she didn't stop running.

  
  


He smiled at her. “Trust me, it is a surprise."

  
  


And as always, she trusted him.

  
  


Giving a light squeeze in their joined hands, the young guard and the princess ran through the halls, going who knows where.

\--

The moons were almost at their highest point. The citizens were all having a great time in the plaza in front of the palace. The music was as loud as it can be, the streets full to the brim with people dancing and singing. The royal family was present and also having a good time.

From the palace, more specifically on the roof of the biggest tower, two young friends were watching the amazing view of the festival from there.

Mika was sitting on the roof's brim, his legs hanging off. J'oa was at his side, her legs laying on her right side, not feeling as daring as her companion. Both of their shoes forgotten behind them.

They watched how everyone else was having fun from afar, close enough to see everyone and hear everything but far enough to not be seen.

  
  
J'oa was fascinated. “I completely forgot about this place, how could I not remember it?"

  
  


"Maybe if you wouldn't be locked up into that library of yours, you would remember it very well, Bookworm." Mika teased.  
  
  


When J'oa was much younger, she used to sneak at night up there to watch the stars and constellations. That was also the first place J'ohanna showed to Mika, right before they became best friends.

  
  
J'oa blushed, embarrassed by his remark. “Yeah, I think I should go out more," she mused. She looked down at the festival, her blue-almost teal eyes reflecting the light from the lamps. "Books keep me away from the people. They send me to another place, another time and away from interacting with others." 

  
  
Mika stayed silent while listening to her, noting how her eyes had a distant look on them.

He knew about her problem with social interaction. He remembered that it was named 'social anxiety'. Mika recalled the first time they exchanged words with each other. 

She was hiding behind her father's legs, holding into his pants while looking at him with wide eyes. It took around _three months_ just to get her to say hi back. 

Little by little, and with a lot of patience, they came to be what they are today.

Noticing her hands shaking, Mika took off his uniform's coat and put it around J'oa's shoulders. It was getting chilly outside.

  
He grabbed her hand, earning her attention. "And that is completely alright, Starlight. Sometimes people need to disconnect from the world, and they do it their own way. There is nothing wrong with that. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Mika told her in a serious tone while passing his thumb over the back of her hand.

  
J'oa smiled at him, a kind expression on her face.

  
  
"Thank you, little knight, You have no idea how much it means to me that you understand and support me with this."

  
  
J'oa leaned her face over a little closer. She gave Mika a little kiss on the cheek. It was quick and light, but that didn't stop the feeling of explosions going off in his chest.

  
  
J'oa parted from him suddenly, her face making a cute frown.

  
  
Mika looked at her, confused. “What? What is it?"  
  
  


She hesitated. "Are you finally growing facial hair?" 

Now it was his turn to blush in embarrassment. He looked at the festival, trying to hide his awkwardness. “Yeah,” he mumbled. “It started showing a few weeks ago.”

  
  
J'oa let go of a giggle. "Awww, the little knight is not little anymore, huh?" she teased lightly.  
  
  


His face blew up completely red. "Hey! I'm already five inches taller than you. Soon enough, l will be taller than my unit," he huffed. 

  
  
But J'oa didn't take it seriously. "Sure thing, little knight. When that happens, I'm sure you'll just start picking fights with everyone that crosses your way."

  
  
"You can count on it!" His blush finally fading away. "But that doesn't mean that I can't beat anyone in a fight right now. I mean have you seen these guns?" Mika flexed his arms. There was _some_ muscle there, but it wasn't much.

  
  
He got up and started making poses with his arms. J'oa started laughing at his weird poses.  
  
  


Out of nowhere, a firework went off. The fireworks show was finally going to start.

  
Both of them were already on their feet when the first burst of lights colored the sky. J'oa had kept Mika's coat around her the whole time while the cold nipped at their bare feet.

Soon, a series of fireworks followed. Illuminating the night sky. 

The people down at the festival were cheering but their shouts were cut off by the sound of the explosives.

It was a beautiful show, and just two teens had the _best_ seats.

  
  


Mika approached J'oa, who was hypnotized by the colorful light show.

He stood beside her and heard her whisper under her breath. "Mika, this is beautiful…"  
  
  


He swallowed thickly. "Yeah, it _is_ beautiful," he said under his breath, eyes glued on J'ohanna.

  
  


They were silent for the rest of the show.

\--

  
The show finished but the festival was still ongoing. At least some families started to leave since the children needed to sleep or were already asleep.

  
  
The guard-to-be and the young princess were still on the roof.

They had no pressure to leave since the royal family was one of the last ones to leave the festival, as they helped with the cleaning duty.

J'oa was leaning her head on Mika's shoulder, her exhaustion finally kicking in. Mika just looked down at the remaining of the people at the festival.

Mika's attention was taken from it when he heard J'oa spoke softly to him.

"Little knight…"

"Yeah?"

She hesitated, shy. "Could I ask you something?"

"Sure, Starlight.”

J’oa lifted off his shoulder to look at him. "If for some reason...we drift apart...or if I disappear...or you were lost somewhere I can't reach out to you...what would you do?”

Mika was quiet for a few moments. Until he made a move.

He took both of J'oa's hands into his own. Moving his head slowly, he looked down at their hands and said an oath.

"We don't know what will happen in the future, J'oa… But I swear, if something like that happened to us, I will search for you in every single planet of the galaxy. And if I can't find you in this life, I will find you in the next, and I will keep on going until I find you again."

J'ohanna let out a small, drowsy sigh and closed her eyes, smiling. Her grip on Mika's hands tightened a little.

  
  


"Little knight…"

  
  


"Yes?"

  
  


"I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes."

  
  


The young ones enjoyed the moment of peace, just the two of them in their own world. Eyes locked on each other.

_Nothing could break them apart…_

**_He would make sure of it._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if I will write another one-shot, I have a lot of things going on with the whole quarantine thing. I have online classes, college applications, my last year of school, health problems, etc.
> 
> I will try to make another one as long as @Lunaxxx is ok with it. I wouldn't mind at all!!!
> 
> Also, please leave a comment down below. I love them and will try to answer them as quickly as possible.
> 
> I hope everyone is safe wherever you are, wash your hands and let's hope this thing is over soon!!
> 
> Love you- G.G💙💚


End file.
